First Try

[inzane]

Hi all, been lurking a while and set up my first system about 3 months ago, which has ended in failure...but not total failure, so I must be winning!

I built a wooden frame pond and lined it with a tarp and concrete underlay (first mistake I think). The growing bed is a length of sewage pipe with holes cut in the top, this feeds into a settling tank, (wrong way round, Doh!) which overflows into a trickle filter and back to the pond. I have a 7000 liter an hour pump (hozelok) which is way too powerful and the pond is ~750L. It has various central american cichlids in it, and is in aquaponics terms lightly stocked.

I planted lettuce, tomatoes, broadbeans and basil. Initially the grow tube was filled with gravel, but this clogged and flooded the house...nice. It was then empty and the plants grew well except the lettuce, and for a time the bean plant had yellow leaves, feeding heavily seems to have cured the beans. However the other day we came home to a wet house...wooohoo! The roots from the tomatoe plants had grown and clogged the outlet! So I bypassed the beds over night and this morning found collapsed tomatoe plants...I was just getting my fist flowers too!!! Ah well, it kinda worked, back to the drawing board. I'm worried about the PVC underlay too, as it may leach nasties into the water....

[inzane]

Anyone any suggestions on how to improve the design of the window ledge growspace?The sill is about 56" long and 12" deep!

[GaryD]

Hi Inzane,

Have you considered having several tiers of your pipe system in the window.....each one above the other?

GaryD

[Hamish]

Only bit of advice from me is DONT GIVE UP once you get it right it will be fantastic. Keep experimenting.

[inzane]

I was amazed how fast the beans came up! I'm not going to give up, but if I flood the house again my wife might make me!

The original plan was to have multiple tubes, I have a second ready to slot in, but really need to stop it flooding first! I think part of the trouble was that my pump was too powerful, so any clogging led to water pouring out the grow holes and hence down into the kitchen! I have put a much weaker pump on there now. I just hope this works. I'll increase the diameter of the drain as well.

I notice most of you have flood and drain systems. The reason i went with a flowing system was I didnt know how to get a reliable flood, drain effect. Can you get timers that switch on and off over say a 30 sec interval? Seeing all your systems is an inspiration, just wish we werent quite so far north, lol! Up here inside is the way to go, unless you can afford a heated greenhouse.

[Murray]

Where is Lanark ?

[GaryD]

Lanark, Scotland or Lanark, Illinois?

[inzane]

Lanark Scotland...its a short growing season up here. Last frosts are usually the end of may, but who can tell these days!

Just read the article on the soldier fly on the site gary linked. I googled for UK pages and there are a few 'soldier flies' but they are very different. The one that might be the same here is Hermetia illucens. Do you know the latin name of the fly you lot breed?

Do you make your own timers?

[GaryD]

Hi Inzane,

Hermetia illucens is the Black Soldier Fly.....and the one to which I refer in the threads on the subject.

The timers that I use are usually cheap electric units that allow me to switch on or off at 15 minute increments. They are not very accurate.....varying from 14 to 18 minutes each time they switch.

GaryD

[inzane]

Thanks Gary,

I have a friend who works pest control for the chicken farms round here and he was telling me about how hard it is to kill lavae in the pooh. I'm hoping this is the soldier fly, just want to make sure I get the right one and not the flesh eating one, that'll bore into my brain. Can you breed them? Here it'll be too cold for them most of the year outside the compost bin! If I left a decent airgap above the compost layer and put in a fake bush do you think they'll get down to the loving?

I just got a million questions guys! Does anyone breed their own fish, or does everyone buy fingerlings?